Baghdad -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Violence across Iraq has claimed nine lives in the past two days , officials with the nation 's interior ministry said Monday .

Gunmen killed Arkan Yaqoub , a Christian citizen , who was shot dead along with his driver by gunmen as they were driving in central Mosul on Monday morning , said ministry officials , who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns and because they are not authorized to talk to the media .

Yaqoub was the deputy director of the state cement factory in Mosul . The motive behind his killing was unknown , but many Iraqi Christians have been targeted since 2004 by Sunni extremist groups , prompting many to flee the country .

In Saqlawaiya , about 10 kilometers -LRB- 6 miles -RRB- north of Falluja , two civilians were shot to death by gunmen Monday morning . The two were driving in a car when gunmen intercepted the vehicle on a highway , the officials said . The motive was unknown .

In northeastern Baghdad 's al-Shaab neighborhood , a roadside bomb exploded near a minibus Monday , killing one civilian and wounding five others , the officials said . Elsewhere , a police officer at al-Kadhimiya civic court died when a bomb attached to his car exploded in the Saba al-Boor district of northern Baghdad .

On Sunday , an Iraqi servicemember and a firefighter died when they responded to the scene of a roadside bombing . The bombing targeted a liquor store in the Abu Ghraib area of western Baghdad and set the building ablaze . When the servicemember and firefighter responded , another roadside bomb exploded . Six people were wounded .

There have been at least 20 such bombings at liquor stores across Baghdad since the beginning of March , when the Iraqi government decided to reopen liquor stores and bars in the capital city . They had been closed for four months . The interior ministry officials said Sunni and Shiite extremists are believed to be behind the attacks .

In the al-Taji district in Baghdad 's northern outskirts , an Iraqi police officer was shot by gunmen while driving in a car Sunday afternoon , the officials said .

Atheel al-Nujaifi , Mosul 's governor , escaped a roadside bombing unharmed Monday morning . He was driving to Baghdad in a convoy consisting of six vehicles when a roadside bomb exploded at one of the vehicles . One of al-Nujaifi 's bodyguards was wounded , the interior ministry officials said . The incident occurred about 110 kilometers -LRB- 68 miles -RRB- south of Mosul .

Others were wounded in attacks , interior ministry officials said . Five civilians were wounded in a roadside bombing in eastern Baghdad on Monday , and two employees of a security company were wounded in another roadside bombing in southeastern Baghdad . On Sunday , a police lieutenant was wounded when a bomb attached to his car exploded .

Overall , violence in Iraq is down considerably from its peak between 205 and 2007 . However , assassinations , gunfire and bombs remain regular occurrences .

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A Christian citizen was shot dead along with his driver

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A bombing at a liquor store kills a servicemember and a firefighter

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Roadside bombings kill and injure several people